THREE years ago, when the obgyn told me casually to "lose 100 lbs, and then you might be able to have kids", I felt overwhelmed, and determined to figure this all out!
TWO years ago, when I joined a special women's only weight loss fitness center. It was a significant sacrifice of time, energy, money, emotion, willpower, etc. I felt that since we were sacrificing so much, SOMETHING good was going to happen! That summer cost us an arm and leg, where I drove to the gym 4 times a week for 30 minutes each way, I exercised 3 hours a day, ate whole foods (nothing prepared), logged all of my meals, ate less than 1100 calories a day, reported what I ate to someone who really didn't care about ME :) (bad experience, maybe?) :) and ONLY lost 8 pounds after almost an entire summer of doing that...I felt defeated, more overwhelmed and even a little desperate! I felt alone, Joey wasn't worried about weight loss like I was, and I didn't think I could do it on my own. So, being the super sweet husband that he is, Joey started to pray and fast with me about what we could both do to be healthy parents, whether we would be able to have them ourselves, or adopt. We found Dr. Marchesini in Curitiba, Brasil and did all we could to prepare for this huge event!
ONE year ago, we started to pack our bags and get ready for a trip to Brasil. Again, we were going to be sacrificing a lot...I was nervous but felt certain that this was going to be the springboard to our new life! We came home and ate much smaller portions, almost no sugar or white flour, ate every two or three hours, exercised at least 3 times a week, etc. And the weight started to fly. Joey's weight loss was just as consistent as mine...we both lost overall pound % weekly at the same pace. In October I was down 10 sizes to a size 16. By December I was a 12. At the end of January I was a size 8 and could squeeze into a size 6 pair of jeans, and now those 6s are loose! Joey's now a 34 when he was a 52! Joey's still got a little more to lose, but he's looking and feeling SUPER amazing!
TODAY, I know I can have the energy and strength to be a mother. Joey is going to be an incredible father! We won't be able to try to have kids for another 1.5 years (about 5 years into our marriage). And we still don't know if we will be able to have them ourselves. But we are assured that we BOTH will have energy, willpower, strength of body and mind to overcome any obstacles that may come in our journey!
This post is entitled "I made it"...but it's more accurate to say WE made it!
6 comments:
So Proud of you my dear! I gained a pound and a half yesterday so this was a boost I needed! I can't imagine that awesome feeling, I can't wait! You, my dear, are my inspiration.
YAY!!! Congrats you two!!!
:D so happy for you!! loves!!
I am so proud of you guys!! And I'm excited to see you in April!
WOW! What an amazing feat for anyone to be able to say! Congratulations, Jena. You have worked hard. Keep it up! :)
Jena - I'm so excited for you! You have been through so much to get to where you are; you are amazing! It's wonderful that your loving husband has been there to experience it with you and help you through the journey.
I am counting down the months with you until you can start trying to have a baby and/or the adoption process. I know how long we waited and how badly we wanted to start our family - yet I can only imagine how you guys feel.
Anyway, as always, I'm one of your biggest fans and will be cheering you on as you move on to the next adventures in your life. I can't wait to see you again. Let me know if you guys are ever in the area. :)
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